In a July council meeting, it was seriously discussed to close this trail down because of vandalism and fears of possible harassment by a small minority of "bad" kids. Up stepped John Dick, city employee Donna Murphy and Cheryl Blair of Ed's True Value Hardware, who felt it was wrong to penalize the many kids -- and others -- who use this trail because of the actions by a few. So they jumped on board with their rescue effort went to work to revitalize it. Then local student Chelsea McCubban stepped up to design and paint the mural below. And more good news: The school has located the "old" lights for this trail which were gathering dust in a storeroom somewhere. The lights are mounted on 3-foot high (approximately) posts and will shine down toward the trail without negatively impacting the surrounding homes.

Good work, guys! And all of this was done for free, without a thought of recognition or any quid pro quo. (John Dick was adamant that he not receive any credit for his and Donna's brainchild, despite the fact he's running for office. In fact, he insisted that the mayor and all council members be present for the dedication. Sad, because in an unusual oversight, the Monitor reported only that the mayor and council members were present, but never mentioned John's name at all.)